Can-righting machine.



PATENTED JAN. '7, 1908.

M. D. BLAKESLEE. CAN RIGHIING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 0013, 1906.

\ llllllllllillll UNITED s'rn'rss PATENT snares.

MERTON D. BLAKESLEE, OF CAZENOVIA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTIIQO HENRY BURDEN, SECOND, OF GAZENOVIA, NEW YORK.

can-momma- Mam-ems.

Specification of Letters la'tent.

Patented Jan. 7, 1908.

Application filed October 3. 1906. Serial No. 337,319.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MERToN D. BLAKEs Lnn, of Cazenovia, in the county of Madison, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Can-Righting Machines, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

. August 24, .1906, except that in the present application I have sou ht to right the cans through the medium 0 opposed rotary elcments acting directly upon each can to ositively feed it right side up into an under ying chute or receptacle from which itmay be delivered by gravity or otherwise, u on the bed of a suitable filler, not shown, )ecause the filler forms no part of my present invention. 1

In other words, my object is to provide a simple, practical and eflicient mechanism capable of being manufactured at a minimum cost for feeding the cans right side up,

either individually orcollectively, into one or more chutes to be delivered to a single or multiple filling machine, by employing a pair of opposed rotary elements acting on each can, whereby I am enabled to increase or diminish the capacity of the righting device by simply addlngto or subtracting from the number of can-righting elements'on the same supporting sha t and providing sepa rate chutes into which the cans are delivered. Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the righting mechanism will be rought out in the following description. In the drawingsFigure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of one of my improved canrighting mechanisms showing a can, in section, as about to be operated upon by the rotary righting elements, the latter being shown in dotted lines as advanced to a position for delivering the cans right side u into an underlying chute. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22, Fig. 1, showing in addition thereto the race-way along which the cans are fed by ravity to the rotary righting elements. lg. 23 is a longitudinal sectional view of one of the rotary can-righting arms taken on line 3--3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the raccavay taken on, line -1---- l, Fig. 2.

The cans are placed promiscnonsly in and are fed by gravity along an inclined chute--lupon a yielding latform -2 and against asuitablespring alnitment -3--, where they are temporarily held directly over the upper open end of a vertical chute -4-- between two opposite rotary can-feeding arms -5-. These arms are, in this instance, rigidly secured. to parallel shafts 6-- at opposite sides of the path of movement of the cans, as a and are com nected for sinniltancous rotation by intermcshing gears '7 for rotating the shaft 6-- and can-fceding arms 5- in the direction indicated by arrows I preferably provide each shaft 6 with a pair of diametrically opposite radial arms -5 so as to feed and right one can at each half revolution ofthe shaft, although it is evident that a still greater number of feeding arms may be em loyed so long as sufficient clearance is left etwecn their outer ends to permit the reception of the cans between them, or I may in some instances, provide each shaft with a single arm -5 so as to feed a can from the support -2 into the chute -4 at each revolution.

The cans aare temporarily held in a horizontal position by the platform 2- and abutment -3 with their ends facing the opposite shafts 6 so that the cans rest substantially midway between said shafts with ample clearance at the ends for the operation of suitable righting fingers 8- which rotate with their respective shafts 6, one of the fingers being adapt ed to enter the open side of the can which be connected to any available source of.

power, not shown, the other shaft being driven by the intermcshmg gears 7 dotted lines in Fig. 2, and similarly depressmg the lower side of the spring abutinents -3 rearwardly, as shown by dotted lines.

As the cans are fed from the chute 1-- upon the platform'2 and against the yielding abutment 3 they are brought within the path of movement of the outer end of the co-acting arms 5- which are arched toward each other and are provided with suitable contact rollers 12 to engage the upper side of thecan along which the rollers move toward each other and toward the center of the can as the co-acting arms descend to forcethe can into the chute l-. Each arm"5 is provided with a coacting righting finger 8 rotating therewith and arranged in such relation to the outer end of said arm as to engage or enter the center of the end of the can when the outer end of the arm 5 engages the top-face of the can. It is obvious that as the cans are fed by hand promiscuously into and gravitate along the chute -1- onto the platform 2 the open ends or tops of some of the cans will face in one direction toward one of the arms 5 and its co' acting righting finger.8-, while the open ends of other cans will'face in the opposite direction, or toward the opposite feeding arm 5- and its righting finger -8 These righting fingers -8- are preferably made of comparatively light spring metal sufficiently small to enter the openings in the ends of the cans and their outer ends are preferably curved op osite to their direction of rotation so t at as one advances against the bottom or closed side of the can it will spring baqlr or force the can endwise so that the opp'site finger will enter the open end of the c n, and as the arms -5 force the can downwardly the open end of the latter will be caught upon and temporarily suspended by the finger which enters the same so that as soon as the can is de- .-ressed and passes beneath the yielding platform 2, its closed end will naturally gravitate downwardly, while its open end will he held uppermost by the adjacent finger -8 until the latter finger is withdrawn from the can by its continued movement, leaving the can to drop right side up into It is now clear that each can in succession is operated upon simultaneously by two of the opposite arms -5 are of uniform pitch to give the and their meeting fingers 8- the arms --5- eryin to engage and depress the cans ate i at the same time that act upon opposite ends of the cans, one of said fingers entering the open side of the can which may face that Way, while the other finger presses against the bottom of the can to hold the latter upon the first named finger during its descent until the can is finally released by both fingers and automatically drops right side up into the chute -4--.

The arms 5 preferably consist of a pair of sheet metal plates which are frictionally clamped by bolts '14 against opposite ends of a collar or hub 15' which is adjustably secured to the shaft -6- by set screw '-1 5-- so that the collar may be adjusted circumferentially independently of the arms 5- by loosening the clamping bolts l4 to permit the independent adjustment of the fingers 8- relatively to the arms 5-; said fingers being secured to the collar 15-. Or by loosening the set screw -16- of either of the collars .15 such collar may be adjusted axially or circumferentially to adjust its arms -5- relatively to those of the other collar'to cause them to travel in the same vertical plane and to engage the upper face of the. can at the same time.

What I claim is.

chine, two opposite rotary canfeeding elements, means to feed the cans into the path I of said elements, each element having EItSSOClto enter the open end of the can which may face that way, and to temporarily suspend said can while said elements are forcing the cans downwardly, whereby the can is caused to tilt by gra ity, bottom downward upon the finger which temporarily supports its open end, the continued rotation of said elements withdrawing the supporting finger from the can after the latter is righted.

2. In a can-righting machine, two rotary elements moving toward and from each other, means for feeding the cans one by one between the approaching sides of said elements and fingers on said elements each adapted to enter the open end of the can and to support said open end uppermost while the opposite end tilts downwardly.

'3. In a can-feeding and ri hting machine, two rotary elements revo ving about ated therewith a canrighting finger adapted separate axes and each having a righting ing fingers, oneof the fingers entering the open end of the can which faces it whereby the open end of the can is held while the opv posite end or bottom is. free toiijgravitate downwardly.

4, In a ean-ri hting machine, two oppo site revolving e ernents arranged side by side on separate parallel axes and having can-righting fingers moving toward each other to engage opposite ends of the cans, and means to feed the cans between the fingers with their ends facing said fingers, whereby one of the fingers is caused to enter the 0 ion end of the can.

i 5. n a can-feeding can and rightiijig machine, oppositelvarranged can-righting fingers rotating about separate parallel axes and having their ends approaching each other during rotation a distance less than the length of the can between its ends, and means to feed the cans, one by one, between and with their ends facing said approaching fingers.

6. In a can-righting machine, a race-way along'which the cans are fed, oppositely arranged fingers rotating about separate parallel axes at opposite sides of the path of movement of the cans and approaching each other during their rotation a distance less than the distance between the opposite'ends of the can whereby one of the fingers engages the center of the bottom of the can, and the other finger enters the open end or top of the can to temporarily support said open end while the bottom gravitates downwardly' 7. In a can-feeding and righting machine, a yielding support, means for feeding the cans, one by one, upon the support, opposite fingers rotating upon axes at opposite sides of the support and approaching each other during rotation a distance less than the length of the can, whereby one of the fingers is caused to engage the bottom of the can and the other finger is caused to enter the open end of said can and means acting upon the can to depress said can and its support until the can is free from the support, the finger entering the open end of the can serving to temporarily holdsaid open end While the opposite or closed end gravitates downwardly.

8. In a can-feeding and. righting machine, a yielding support and retracting means therefor, means to feed the cans," one by one,

upon said support, opposite arms rotating onseparate axes at opposite sides of the support to engage said cans and de ress the support until the can is freed there rom, and opposite means each adapted to enter the open end of the can to temporarily support said open end after the can is freed from the support, whereby the can is caused to right itse f, the continued movement of the righting means freeing the can therefrom.

9. In a righting device for cans, a pair of opposite can righting fuigers revolving on separate parallel axes, means to feed the cans, one by one, between the fingers during rotation whereby one of the fingers is caused to enter the open end of the can and to sustain said open end of the can, while the opposite end gravitates downwardly and means mov ing in synchrony with said fingers to force the can downwardly.

ll). In a machine for feeding and righting cans, two rotary can-feeding elements revolving on separate parallel axes, said elements having opposite righting fingers moving toward each other to enter the open end of the can, and means for feeding the cans, one by one, between said fingers, and in the path of movement of said elements.

11. In a can-righting machine, two parallel shafts geared together to rotate in unison at the same rate of speed, a self-retracting yielding support between the shafts, means to feed the cans, one by one, upon said support, can-righting fingers each mounted upon and rotating with one of the shafts and adapted to enter the open end of the can and means acting upon the can to depress the support and thereby free the can therefrom.

12. In a can-feeding and righting machine, a self-retracting yielding support, means to feed the cans, one by one, upon said support, separate-rotary shafts at opposite sides of the support, means to drive said shafts at a uniform speed, means for feeding the cans from said support, and further means for righting the cans While being forced from the sup ort.

, In Witness whereof I rave hereunto set my hand this 27th day of September 1906.

MERTON D. BLAKESLEE. Witnesses: H. E. CHASE, C. M. MoCoRMAoK. 

